


Tessa Comes to Visit

by KnittedWhit



Series: Shadowhunters: Parenthood Edition [7]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Baby Clace, Clare Baby, Dad!Jace, Gen, Mom!Clary, Multi, Shadowhunters - Freeform, Shadowhunters: Parenthood Edition, TMI Gang, TMI Gang™️, Warlock - Freeform, clace, the mortal instruments - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:01:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26870302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnittedWhit/pseuds/KnittedWhit
Summary: Reese is 10 months old and showing signs of being as special as her parents. Who better to quell their fears than her great great great great grandmother?
Relationships: Clary Fairchild & Jace Herondale, Clary Fairchild/Jace Wayland, Clary Fray & Jace Wayland, Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Tessa Gray & Jem Carstairs, Tessa Gray/Jem Carstairs
Series: Shadowhunters: Parenthood Edition [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907902
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	Tessa Comes to Visit

Tessa Gray stepped into the NYC Institute and smiled. She enjoyed coming here, especially with Jace and Clary in charge. It seemed a warmer, kinder place than it ever had been before. Since the Head was usually able to influence the decor a little, Tessa was pleased to see the artistic touches she knew came from Clary. Warm pictures. Comfy chairs at the desks and tables. Less sterile. More like a functioning home. She didn’t waste much time looking around though, making her way to the office that the Herondale couple shared. She could hear voices behind the door. She knocked. 

“Come in.” A soft voice answered her knock. 

She opened the door and entered. 

Jace and Clary were sitting at the side of the coffee table, watching their daughter cruising her way around it. Reesa was dressed in mundane baby overalls, Tessa saw with delight, with a blue shirt with ruffles at the sleeves underneath. A tiny blue bow was tucked into a riot of golden-red curls that made it look like she was wearing a halo. She looked very small to be cruising around the table, Tessa thought. The little girl was barely holding on, almost as if she was just doing her parents a favor by not running off at any moment. Jace and Clary looked up at Tessa and Tessa saw the fear and pride fighting for dominance in their glances.   
“How is my beautiful great-great-...well, lets just call her my namesake. It’s less confusing that way.” Tessa said. The couple laughed.

“Growing by leaps and bounds,” Clary smiled.

Reesa had stopped to observe this new person in her domain, a young looking woman with long brown hair and gray eyes, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt under a blue corduroy jacket. Reesa’s golden eyes seemed to glisten a little extra, just enough that Tessa noticed them more clearly.

Golden eyes, like James Herondale, Tessa’s long dead son. Her heart leaped into her throat as it always did when she saw those eyes again. The eyes of someone with a gift. James’ had come from being the son of a Shadowhunter and a half Warlock/half Shadowhunter. Jace Herondale had them too, of course. The first time Tessa had seen him, she had been equally as overcome. His had come from the pure Angel blood given to his mother Celiné by Valentine when Celiné had been pregnant with Jace. Whatever extra blessings Jace had received with the experiment had also brought out those golden Herondale eyes. And now his daughter had them as well, doubly blessed from her mother AND her father. Jace was the strongest and most talented of his generation; Clary possessed the ability to recall ancient Runes and create her own, as well as open Portals and sometimes have visions. Who knew what this child could do?

And then Tessa knew why she had been called by the two anxious parents. She recognized the look, one she had seen in the mirror when she had been a young mother so long ago with children of a different heritage than most. One she still saw on occasion, with Mina and Kit in her life now.

Tessa held her arms out to Reesa. Reesa studied Tessa’s face a second longer before smiling. “Up!” Reesa said. Jace looked surprised.

“She usually doesn’t go to strangers so easily,” Jace admitted, as Tessa lifted the child up. Reesa immediately studied Tessa’s face with a serious expression, like she knew this person was very important to her.

“She is like her mother.” Tessa flashed a smile at Clary. “The first time I met Clary as a 2 year old, she let me hold her immediately. Jocelyn was amazed.”

Reesa touched the jade pendant around Tessa’s neck with small inquisitive fingers.

“No Reesa,” Clary chided gently.

“Oh, she can’t hurt it,” Tessa remarked. “Mina teethed on it.”

Tessa sat and made herself comfortable on the loveseat, still holding Reesa. Jace and Clary took the matching chairs across from her. Reesa turned the jade pendant over and seemed to be entranced, her golden eyes fixed on the symbols carved into it.   
“I think I know why you called,” Tessa said softly.

The relief that came from the young couple washed over her. Tessa smiled kindly.

“I can’t say what it is of course, but your daughter must be gifted by the angels. How could she not be, with both of you being so? My own son was gifted too, a darker gift from my half-warlock blood. I suspect what has given her her gifts is the double dose of pure angel blood, since you both carry extra powers from the angels because of it. Has she...done anything yet?”  
Jace seemed too overwhelmed with emotions to speak, so Clary spoke up. 

“Nothing too out of the ordinary. I mean, she seems advanced for her age. She went from crawling to cruising in a matter of days. She started saying words like Dada and Mama, and now she says little sentences. Like Dada play or Mama bath. Yesterday she told Max “Stop Max” when he was playing with her stele. She manages to get out of her crib and we can’t figure it out. I found her on top of Jace’s piano yesterday when I left her on the floor to go get a diaper and wipes. I have no idea how she did it.”

Jace finally spoke. “I am scared. I have been since the day she was born. About this possibility. But...I just want to make sure that we do what we can to let her grow into these gifts and know how direct her. Clary and I both have a gift, it’s true, but she didn’t know of hers for years. I was used for mine. So we have no guidance in this. I don’t want to smother Reesa or make her feel ashamed of them. I want her to be her amazing self, whatever that means,” he finished softly, looking at his daughter on Tessa’s lap. Clary reached over and took his hand.

Reesa tired of the pendant and released it. She looked up at Tessa’s face and then laid a hand on Tessa’s arm. With a start Tessa looked her deep in the eyes for a minute before putting Reesa down at the table. The little girl immediately started cruising around it again. Tessa watched her for a minute longer, her brows crinkled slightly. Finally she looked at Jace and Clary. Her brow eased and she gave them a motherly smile, somewhat strange on a person that seemed the same age as them. Only her eyes showed the wisdom she possessed. 

“Teach her to embrace her gifts, whatever they end up being. You will figure them out, I promise. Show her how to use them for good, for herself. To be what she is supposed to be. You are good parents, with a strong family and friend support system. You don’t need to worry. Your daughter, as well as all the Lightwood-Banes, Lovelaces, and future Herondales that will be born into this family, will be the beautiful future of the Shadowhunters.” She sensed Jace relax at her words. Reesa stopped at his knees as she made her way around again. “Dada,” she said patting him as if she knew how he felt. Jace ruffled her curls and the tiny girl continued on her trek.

“Keep watching her. She will show you things when she is ready. It could be next week or next month. Tomorrow maybe. Maybe years from now. Just be aware. Jem and I will always be here for her. Jem helped guide my son when he was exploring his gifts and he hasn’t forgotten all his Silent Brother wisdom. And we will be here for you as well.” Tessa said to the couple as she laid a hand on the top of Reesa’s red-gold curls as the baby made her way back to Tessa’s side of the table. 

“What you have said to me, Jace, shows me that no matter what this child can do, she will be accepted, loved and supported. That’s all anyone wants. That will got further than anything to make her what she is supposed to be.” Clary squeezed his hand again and smiled at him. 

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything more helpful. But I’m most confident, you all will be fine. More than fine,” Tessa promised the young couple. They both looked relieved at her words, although she knew they would still worry. That’s what parents did, after all. 

Tessa stood and so did Clary and Jace. Clary couldn’t help herself, she stepped over and hugged Tessa.

“Thank you,” she whispered. 

“You’re so welcome,” Tessa said. 

Jace stepped forward. He was hesitant, it was strange to think this woman was his ancestor when she barely looked older than 20. He still reached out to hug her gently though. Tessa felt her heart swell just a little. He looked nothing like Will in his coloring but reminded her of him all the same. She patted his cheek. “She will be fine. Don’t worry too much, Jace. She is strong and I suspect, a little wild and headstrong. That’s not the Angel though,” Tessa winked at him. “That’s the Herondale. I should know. I married one and raised two. And now I’m raising another, the Angel help me.” Jace smiled at her. They walked over to the door, Tessa answering Clary’s inquiries about Kit and Mina and Jem. 

At the door, Tessa turned again to Reesa. Reesa stood at the edge of the table and eyed the distance between her and where her parents and the lady with the interesting necklace were standing. Tessa raised her eyebrows.   
“Ah, about ready to let go now, are you?”

Tessa knelt and held out her hands. “Come to Tessa then. Let’s see you walk before I go. I want a good story to tell Jem.”  
Reesa giggled. She let go and walked the distance and straight into Tessa’s waiting arms. 

Clary gasped and then laughed. Jace grinned again. Tessa hugged the baby and then rose to her feet with Reesa in her arms.  
“Oh yes. I can’t wait to see what this little one does. I’m glad I will be around for it,” Tessa laughed, kissing Reesa’s cheek before handing her to Jace. 

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Clary asked. 

“Oh no, my dears. I must get back to Jem, Kit, and Mina. But thank you.”

“Let me walk you out,” Clary said, leaving Jace and Reesa dancing around the office with glee, the little girl’s laughs following them down the hallway.

“Thank you again,” Clary said. “Jace, well and me too,” she admitted, “We were both worried. Especially Jace. He was horribly mistreated by his father for his gifts. Well, my father. I mean Valentine. You know.” She waved her hand in frustration at how to express who she was speaking of.

Tessa nodded sadly. She always felt a pang knowing Jace had been out there and so lost, separated from his true heritage by that awful creature Valentine. 

“Jace just wants her to be happy. And safe,” Clary said softly. 

“He is a good father. And you are a good mother, Clary.” Tessa stated firmly. “Never worry about that. Each generation of new Shadowhunters seems to be better parents than the last generation. Always learning and growing and more accepting. It’s beautiful to see.”

They reached the main doors and stepped out into the sunshine. 

Tessa took Clary’s hand. “Do let me know how things progress with my namesake. My great-great-great-great granddaughter. My, that’s a mouthful, gifted or not! We will have to figure out a title for me that the child can say before she is 5, won’t we?”  
Clary agreed and hugged Tessa one last time. 

“Won’t Jem be jealous? First steps to me! He likes to think he is the baby-whisperer of the world.” With a wink, Tessa disappeared into her portal, leaving a laughing Clary behind. 

\- 

Jem embraced Tessa when she came home. He could tell from her eyes that that she had something to share with him when they were alone later. 

“So, how is the newest Herondale?” He asked as they lay in bed that night.

Tessa rolled onto her side and looked at him. “Well. She’s something else.”

“Tell me,” Jem clasped her hand in his and raised it to his lips.

Tessa smiled. 

“She’s advanced in her skills, like Jace. You know the story of Clary and Jace and their blood of course. She has pure angel blood abilities too, I’m sure. Different ones too. She touched me and...”Tessa paused, musing. 

“I felt something. I felt my angel blood respond to her. Almost like she was speaking to me without words or trying to show me something but she isn’t quite sure how to do it just yet. I don’t know what she can do, Jem. But it is going to be amazing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading another installment of my series! Please know I love each and every kudo and comment. ♥️


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